Stop the Food fights! Tips to Find Common Ground with Kids About Healthy Eating

(BPT) – When you hand your kids a healthy snack or have them sit down
to a wholesome meal, do you cringe because you fear their little voices
of retaliation? “Ew,” “yuck” and “I don’t like that!” are some of the
most notorious responses.

While it may sometimes feel like kids
only want unhealthy foods, the majority are open to healthy choices.
According to a recent Stonyfield Organic yogurt survey of kids ages 5-11
and their parents, although only a quarter of kids said they “love”
healthy snacks, a full 40% said they “like healthy snacks” and only 1%
said that healthy snacks are “gross!”

Though it can be difficult
to find foods parents and kids agree upon, there are some smart ways to
end the food fights for good. As a mom of three young kids with snacking
opinions of their own, Vanessa Lachey, TV host and actress, explains
that her snack selection philosophy is all about give and take.

“I
love that my kids have opinions about their food and they are
especially excited about picking their snacks,” she says. “I use that
enthusiasm as an opportunity to talk to them about making healthy
choices, balancing treats with goodness and listening to their bodies to
know when they are hungry — themes and lessons that extend far beyond
the snack aisle.”

To help other parents get past the food fights, Lachey shares her top three tips for finding common ground about healthy eating:

Try new things:
“Kids are more adventurous than I think we sometimes give them credit
for,” she says. “Packing a lunch or afternoon snack each day, it’s easy
to get into a rut. I try to introduce at least one new food each week.”

Stick to it:
“Kids’ tastes are always changing,” she stresses. “One day Camden will
say he hates a certain food but when I reintroduce it a few weeks later,
he’s a fan. I try not to get too bummed if something doesn’t hit the
mark the first time.”

Share control: “Putting
myself in my kids’ shoes, you bet I can imagine how frustrating it would
be not to have control over food choices,” Lachey says. “So, before we
take trips to the grocery store together, I let Camden and Brooklyn know
they can each pick three things that we agree upon together. It’s
amazing for starting a discussion about what helps fuel our bodies and
is a good choice, and of course still tastes great!”

Maybe you
select a fruit that isn’t native to your area and try it together
tonight for a nutritious dessert? Or let kids choose a nutritious snack
to look forward to, like Stonyfield Organic Snack Packs, a duo of creamy
organic lowfat yogurt paired with either organic graham crackers,
organic cookies or organic pretzels for dipping.

“With lots of
practice with my own kids, I know how challenging it can be to find
snacks that I feel good about but also that my kids will actually eat.
Since we’ve discovered the new Stonyfield Organic Snack Packs, my fridge
is always stocked with them because I know that Camden and Brooklyn are
going to be so excited for snack time,” says Lachey.

These three
simple tips will help you bring peace to your family’s meal and snack
times with healthy foods everyone — kids and adults — will love.

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